Giovanni Trapattoni believes Carlo Ancelotti will be a success at Bayern Munich when he takes over as coach next summer, hailing him as "one of the best tacticians."
Ancelotti, 56, will become the second Italian boss at Bayern, following in the footsteps of Trapattoni, when Pep Guardiola steps down at the end of the season.
Trapattoni had two spells in charge of Bayern in 1994-95 and 1996-98, winning the Bundesliga title in 1997 and the DFB-Pokal in 1998.
Bayern will be the latest in a stellar list of clubs managed by Ancelotti. Since 1999 he has had spells in charge of Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, winning three league titles and the Champions League three times.
Trapattoni congratulated Bayern for appointing Ancelotti in an interview with German tabloid Bild.
"It's a terrific decision," Trapattoni said. "He's an incredibly experienced coach. Just ask superstars like [Cristiano] Ronaldo. You won't find anyone who'd say a bad word about him.
"He's got an unbelievable experience in dealing with players. And he's one of the best tacticians I know."
Trapattoni explained that Ancelotti's success at his previous clubs is "no coincidence" and backed him to win trophies at Bayern -- and insisted the language barrier won't prove to be an issue.
"Munich have the best team in Bundesliga and are one of the strongest sides in Europe. And there is still upward potential," Trapattoni added. "Carlo is very intelligent. I don't see any problem. He speaks Italian, Spanish and French and he'll learn German fast."